Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Official Report 1058KB pdf

Presiding Officer’s Address to the Parliament

Before we move to topical questions I would like to say something about the deeply shocking situation that the Parliament has faced in recent days. Not a single person in the Parliament is unaffected. You will be aware that the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body met this morning. Following that meeting, a detailed note has been provided to party groups, individual members and staff.

I take this opportunity to reiterate a number of points.

I am absolutely appalled that anyone would have to face a situation such as this in the Parliament or, indeed, in any workplace or any other environment. We all feel shock and hurt at the recent allegations relating to an elected member and the reports of a shocking invasion of privacy.

The safety and welfare of everyone who works in this building are our priority. These circumstances are unprecedented for the Parliament, and it has been and continues to be a highly complex situation to navigate. There is an on-going live criminal investigation. The information available to the Parliament at different stages has, therefore, necessarily been limited, and parliamentary authorities do not have confirmation of any investigation details. If further information is confirmed or verified, we will share it.

It is important to be clear that neither officials nor the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body have the authority to remove the rights and privileges of an elected member. Officials have worked at pace to consider how this unprecedented situation should best be responded to, establishing appropriate lawful authority to act and carrying out a thorough risk assessment. Having considered that, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body agreed to deactivate the member’s pass.

Although procedures are a matter for the whole Parliament, for its part the SPCB is committed to reviewing online and physical security as a whole, in line with its remit and responsibilities.

As it remains a live criminal investigation, the matter is sub judice. We must avoid contempt of court, and nothing should be said or done that might jeopardise the investigation. We can comment only on information that is verified, and I will continue to keep party leaders and groups across the Parliament up to date.

Police Scotland has swept the facilities in the building, and no devices were found. Enhanced security checks of the building will continue as we seek to provide further reassurance to members and to each and every person who works in or visits the Scottish Parliament.

Teams at the Parliament have been working hard to put in place a range of additional support for all those affected. The chief executive and I wrote to building users yesterday to set out how that support can be accessed. Meetings have taken place with various groups already, and we will continue that process across the coming weeks, working with all staff groups in the building. I encourage everyone to access the support that they need. That is vitally important. I reiterate that you should feel able to contact me personally, in confidence, if I can be of any help.

I realise that people have questions about these matters. In the update given earlier today, the SPCB and I set out as much information as we can. I must remind members that, as this matter is sub judice, it would not be appropriate to comment further. I assure members that I will continue to keep them updated. I am acutely aware of the concerns that people have, and we are committed to doing everything that we can to address them.